Automatic railway signaling apparatus.



PATENTED NOV.- 8, 1904.

c. 'G. MARDOR'P. AUTOMATIGRAILWAY SIGNALING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.26, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1- H0 MODEL.

No. 774,443. PATENTED NOV 8, 1904.

C. G. MARDORF. 7 AUTOMATIC RAILWAY SIGNALING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 26, 1904. N0 MODEL.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

No. 774,443. v

UNTTED STATES Patented November 8, 1904.

PATENT @rrrca.

AUTOMATIC RAILWAY SIGNALING APPARATUS- SPECIFICATION forming part ofLetters Patent No. 774,443, dated November 8, 1904.

Application filed August 26, 1904- Serial No. 222,283. (No model.)

To all whmn it may concern:

Be it known that I, (Janis GILMORE MAR- DORF, of Cheswick, in the countyof Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Automatic Railway Signaling Apparatus; and I dohereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionof the same, such as will enable those skilled in the art to which myinvention appertains to make and use it, reference being had to theaccompanying draw- .ings, forming part of this specificatiom, in which*Figure 1 is a side elevation illustrating my invention. Fig. 2 is an'end view of the same, and Fig. 3 is a view of one of the parts detached.

Like figures of reference indicate like parts in each of the figures.

My invention relates to automatic signaling apparatus for railways; andthe object of the same is to give warning to engineers of locomotives ofdanger ahead resulting from misplaced or open switches, opendrawbridges, or from other cause, in addition to the usual signalsemployed for such purpose, and there by guard against accident.

Referring to the drawings, 2 2 represent the rails of a railway, and 3one of the ties thereof. Mounted in brackets 4c, secured to the tie 3,is a shaft 5, having a U-shaped extension or striker 6. The shaft 5 isadapted to be partially rotated either by means of a chain extendingfrom the switch and passing around the wheel 7, mounted on the shaft, orby means of the bevel-wheel 8, also mounted on the shaft and engagingwith the bevel-pinion 9, mounted on the light-standard 10, said standardbeing suitably connected and adapted to be turned by the movement of theswitch.

Secured to a shaft 11, pivotally mounted in brackets 11, is a lever 12,having a hook 13 at its upper end, the lever being guided in itsswinging movement by the guides 14:, secured to the supports 14:

15 is an air-cylinder connected by pipe 16 with an air-reservoir 17, thepipe 16 having a valve (normally open) in the casing 18 adapted to beclosed by a rod 19, extending within reach of the engineer. Thepiston-rod of the cylinder 15 extends through both ends of the cylinder,as shown, the upper end 20 of the rod being adapted in its upwardmovement to open a valve in the casing 21, located in the pipe 22,leading from the air-reservoir 17 to an alarm-whistle 23. The lower end24 of the piston-rod is provided with a pivoted latch or book 25,adapted to take under and engage with the hooked end 13 of the lever 12when the latter is in its normal or vertical position, thus preventingthe piston of the cylinder from moving, due to the pressure from theair-reservoir.

The mounting of the various parts on the locomotive and the manner ofsecuring the same thereto have not been illustrated, as the inventiondoes not reside therein, and it is thought that the illustration of thesame would only tend to confusion.

The operation of my improvement is as follows: When the switch is inproper position, the striker 6 will lie in a horizontal position, asindicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1, and out of the path of travel ofthe lever 12; but should the switch be open the striker will be turnedinto a vertical position, as indicated by the full lines in bothfigures, so as to be struck by said lever. When the lever comes incontact with the striker, the lever will be swung to one side, asindicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 1, by which movement the hooks 13and 25 will be disengaged from each other. As soon as the end 24 of thepiston-rod is thus released the pressure of the air in the cylinder 15,through its connection by the pipe 16 with the reservoir 17, will forcethe piston of the cylinder upwardly, causing the end 20 of thepiston-rod to strike the valvestem of the valve in the casing 21,opening the valve and allowing the air to pass from the reservoirthrough the pipe 22 and sound the whistle 28. The whistle will continueto blow until the engineer by means of the rod 19 closes the valve inthe casing 16, shutting off the pressure from the cylinder 15, when thepiston and its rods will drop by gravity and the valve in casing 21 willclose and the whistle will cease to sound. Upon'the downward movement ofthe rod 2A the inclined face 26 of its pivoted end will strike theinclined face 27 of the lever 12 and the latch will be tilted to oneside until its hook comes below the hook 13, when the latch will swingunder and into operative position with the lever. opened by theengineer, or it may be so connected as to be opened by movement of theparts, and the device is again in operative condition.

28 is a rod depending from the shaft 11 for the purpose of contactingwith the striker 6 should the locomotive be running backward or in casethe striker should be located on that side of the track.

It is obvious that changes in the form and arrangement of the parts maybe made without departing from the spirit of the invention, since WV hatI claim is 1. The combination with a cylinder, of a source offluid-pressure normally in communication therewith, a piston in thecylinder, means operated by the movement of the piston for operating analarm, and means for holding the piston in an inoperative positionagainst the pressure of the fluid, substantially as described.

2. In railway signaling apparatus, the combination with a cylinder, of asource of fluidpressure normally in communication therewith, a piston inthe cylinder, means operated by the movement of the piston for operatingan alarm, means for holding the piston in an inoperative positionagainst the pressure of the fluid, and means located along the railwayfor releasing said piston-holding means, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a cylinder, of a source of fluid-pressurenormally in communication therewith, a piston in the cylinder,

The valve in the casing 18 is then 1 means operated by the movement ofthe piston for operating an alarm, means for holding the piston in aninoperative position against the pressure of the fluid, and means forclosing communication between said source of fluid-pressure and saidcylinder, substantially as described.

4. The combination with a cylinder, of a compressed-air reservoirnormally in communication therewith, an alarm-whistle having connectionWith said air-reservoir, a valve in said connection, and a piston insaid cylinder one end of the piston-rod of which is adapted in itsmovement to open the valve in said connection, the other end of thepiston-rod being provided with means by which the piston is normallyheld in an inoperative posi tion against the pressure of the air in theair reservoir, substantially as described.

5. The combination. with a cylinder, of a compressed-air reservoirnormally in communication therewith, an alarm-Whistle, a pipe connectingthe whistle and the air-reservoir, a normally closed valve in said pipe,a piston in said cylinder having its piston-rod extending through bothends of the cylinder, one end of the piston-rod being adapted in itsmovement to open said valve and establish communication between theWhistle and the air-reservoir, and the other end being provided with apivoted latch, and a pivoted lever normally adapted to engage the latchand prevent the piston-rod from moving, substan tially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

CHRIS GILMORE MARDORF.

Witnesses:

C. S. HUNTING, J. T. BRUNN.

